Peed mechanism for cotton-cleaner feeders



Nov. 9 1926. 1,606,012

R. E. WILSON 1 FEED MECHANISM FOR COTTON CLEANER FEEDERS Filed May 8-1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4/ Q /6 12/ I 22 a 7 uwenrcz Qzwihzsam Nov. 91926. 1,606,012

' t R. E. WILSON FEED MECHANISK FOR COTTON CLEANER FEEDERS Fi led May a.1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 [fly- Fwd Q. 5 P

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. I o 48 I .3 47 z 6' r Patented Nov. 9, 1926.

RALPH E. WILSON, OF DALLAS, TEXAS, ASSIG-NOR T CONTINENTAL GIN COMPANY,

A. CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FEED MECHANISM FOR COTTON-CLEANER FEEDERS.

Application filed May 8, 1924. Serial No. 711,939.

My invention relates to an improvement in the feed mechanism for cottoncleaner feeders, and more particularly for a speed change for a diskgear and pinion drive for such a feed mechanism.

The disk gear and pinion drive which has been in general use for 'manyyears, con1- prises a disk gear having a plurality of c1rcumferentialrows of teeth or pins at differout radial distances from its center andthe pinion, which is driven thereby, is slidableon a rocking drive shaftand controlled by a handle and a latch mechanism so that it required twooperations to set and lock the pinion in mesh with any desired set ofteeth on the disk gear. The drive'from the pinion was transmitted to thecotton cleaner feeder and the latterdriven at a speed proportionate to aratio ofthe meshing gear teeth and pinion. The handle and latchmechanism to shift and lock the pinion in a set position, were mountedhigh up on the feeder adjacent to the gear and to effect a change ofspeed in the cleaner feed the operator must climb up to the disk gearand use both hands to unlatcli the gear and set it. This was not easy todo, and as a result this renders objectionable the disk gear and pinionfeed, though in many respects it is 39 very desirable for its simplicityand rehability.

The prime object of my present invention is to design a gear shift andlatch mechanism for a' disk gear and pinion drive which can be operatedfrom the floor and by means of which the pinion can be both released,shifted and relatched in operating position by one hand, thus leavingthe operators other hand free for control of other parts of themechanism.

My invention comprises the novel details of construction andarrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiments only areillustrated in the accompanying draw- 5 ings, in which Fig. 1 presentsin side elevation a cotton cleaner feeder with a disk gear and piniondrive, the pinion being shifted and latched by one embodiment of myinvention.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the disk gear and pinion drive with the levershown in cross section.

Fig. 8 is a detail view of the pinion controllever and its latch means.

Fig. 4c is a VlBW. corresponding to Fig. 1,

showing a modified arrangement of pinion housing andlatch mechanism forthe pinion shifting lever. a

Fig. 5 is a detail view showing the upper sliding bearing for thepinionshaft; and

Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view through the lever latch.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout thedrawings.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in Fig. 1, the cleanerdrum, not

shown, is mounted on a shaft 1 mounted in end bearings 2 attached to theend wall 3 of the cotton cleaner feeder. Fast on the shaft 1, which isdriven by a pulley 4:, is a worm 5 which drives a worm gear 6 mounted ona. shaft 7 which has a key seat cut therein and a pinion 8 mounted ontheshaft so that it can slide along a loose key 9 in the key seat so asto shift it into position to mesh the desired set of gear teethon thedisk gear 10. The teeth or pins 11 in this gear are arranged in annularrows and formed by holes in the disk, each set being concentric with thedisk and having an increasing number of teeth as its radial distancefrom the disk center increases. There may be any desired number of setsof gear teeth in the disk according to the number of speed changesdesired. In sliding the pinion 8 along the shaft 7, it is necessary todisengage the pinion from the disk gear or pin plate 10. To permit thisthe pinion is mounted between the sides of a yoke 12 disposed at anintermediate point in the control lever 13. This yoke has aligningopenings to receive and slideon the shaft 7, and it is adapted toreceive snugly between its sides the hub of the pinion 8, which,however, is free to rotate in the yoke with the shaft 7. The yoke at itsupper end is mounted loosely on a fulcrum 14: carried by a bracket 15and on this fulcrum the lever is free to swing in a vertical p ane andto have a limited rocking movemen' laterally. The

shaft 7 at its lower end is mounted on a swivelled bearing 16 adapted torock about a swivel pin, 17 in a plane at right angles to the plane ofthe disk gear 10.

. Between the yoke 12 and the handle 18 on the lever I provide anopening 19 which is adapted to permit one of a series of hook lugs 20,mounted on a quadrant 21, to pro ject therethrough with its overhanginglip sufiiciently spaced from the lever to permit,

a lock plate or latch 22 mounted on the lever by a stud 23 engagingthrough a slot in the plate to catch under the lug lip and thus lock thelever against disengagement from the lug until the lock plate has beendrawn by its control mechanism, hereafter described, to clear the luglip. lhe lugs are all equi-distant from the fulcrum 14L and the levercan be caused to engage any desired one. Also the lugs are so spacedthat each one will set and lock the lever with the pinion 8 meshing adifferent set of teeth 11 on the disk gear 10. A rod l5 connects the endof the lock plate with a springpressed grip element 46 pivoted on thelever at its handle end so that when the lever is grasped to shift itthe latch plate will be disengaged.

In effecting a change of speed in the drive it is necessary first todisengage the pinion 8 from the disk gear and this is done by shiftingthe lock plate 22 to disengage the lug 20 and then moving the leverlaterally outwardly from the cleaner until it clears the lugs 20 and thepinion 8 becomes disengaged from the gear 10. The lever is then free tobe rocked in a vertical plane about its fulcrum so as to bring thepinion opposite the desired set of teeth 11 and thereupon'it is shiftedlaterally inwardly, causing the corresponding lug 20 to project throughthe lever slot 19 and to be engaged by the lock plate 22 when the gripelement is released. I provide a bearing for the upper end of the shaft7, this being in the form of an angled bracket 24: in one leg of whichthe upper end of the shaft 7 has a slipfit, and the other leg of whichhas a sliding bearing on the feed roller shaft 25 upon which the diskgear- 10 is mounted fast and which shaft projects substantially beyondthe disk gear and carries on its outer end a fast collar 26. Thissliding bearing affords ample play to enable the shaft 7 to rock anddisengage the pinion from the disk gear 10. It will be noted that thelever is quite long and that its handle and grip element 46 are disposedin position in which they can be readily manipulated from the floor sothat all the setting of the pinion and the latching of its lever can. beaccomplished with one hand, which is very necessary when a ginner is ina hurry to make a change. ,The quadrant 21 is'formed b y a castingattached in any suitable manner to the end cleaner wall 3.

In Figs. 4: to 6 I show a modified arrangement of the drive. Here thepinion 8 is mounted in ayoke 27 formed at the upper end of a. sleeve 28which is slidable on the drive shaft 29 corresponding to 7. The pinionis keyed to the shaft'in the manner described and is adapted to beslipped along the shaft to mesh the desired teeth 11 in the disk gear 10by theshifting of the sleeve 28. It will be observed that the gear isdis posed on the far side of the disk center from the driven worm wheel6 and that this necessitates the elimination of the overhung end of thefeed roller shaft 25. The upper end of the shaft 29 is mounted in abearing 30 which is free to slide in an elongated slot 31 in a bracket32 overhung from the top of the cleaner, the slot being elongated in adirection substantially parallel with the axis of the feed roller shaft25. The sleeve 28 has a stud bolt 33 thereon which is connected to anoperating lever 34: by a nut 35, which leaves the lever free to rockabout the stud.

t its upper end the lever has an elongated slot 36 which leaves it freeto rock both vertically and laterally about a fulcrum 37 in a bracket 38attached to the top of the feeder. The lever passes through an arouateguide plate 39 having spaced teeth 4-0 at one side leaving notches, eachof which is adapted to receive the lever and set it in position with thepinion meshing one of the sets of disk gear teeth 11. Opposite each ofthe notches is a pin hole 41 adapted to receive a latch pin 42 slidablein a guide 43 on the lever and normally pressed by a spring it intoengagement with the guide plate 39. A rod 45 connects the latch pin witha spring-pressed grip element 46 mounted adjacent to the handle 47 ofthe lever. By pressing the grip element 46 the pin can be disengaged,the lever shifted laterally out of the notch so as to clear the teeth40, and then rocked about its fulcrum 37 to bring the pinion into meshwith the desired set of teeth 11, after which the lever can be shiftedlaterally into the notch standing opposite to it and the grip releasedto lock it in this position. In this design, the shaft 29 is heldyieldingly in position with the worm wheel 6 meshing the worm 5 by meansof a rod 48 engaging a collar 49 on the shaft at its upper end, and atits lower end passing through a guide 50 and engaged by a coil spring 51which presses against a seat formed by a nut 52 at the end of the rod. Anut 53 limits the rocking movements of the shaft 29 counter-clockwise.

It will be apparent that in both forms of my invention illustrated thegear speed change can be effected very rapidly and easily by theoperator with one hand and from the floor.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim as new and desire tosecure by LettersPatent, is

1. In a disk gear and pinion drive for cotton cleaner feeders, a drivingshaft loosely mounted'to rock, a pinion keyed to and slidable on saidshaft, a disk gear having a plurality of annular series of teeth withwhich its pinion is adapted to mesh, a feed roller shaft on whichsaiddisk gear is mounted, and means to shift and lock the pinion indifferent operating positions, comprising a lever having a handleprojecting into position to be operated from the floor, a latch means onsaid handle to lock it in different operating positions, and a bearingfor the handle about which it is free to rock both vertically andlaterally.

2. A gear shift mechanism according to claim 1, in which the leverbearing is at the upper end of the lever on the far side of the diskgear from the lever handle.

3. A gear shifting mechanism in accordance with claim 1, in which thelatch means comprises elements to positively hold the lever againstmovement in a plane parallel with the plane of the disk gear, and lockmeans to lock the lever in engagement with said latch elements, sai'dlever being releasable from said latch elements when unlocked, as andfor the purposes described.

4:. In a disk gear and pinion drive for cotton cleaner feeders, a diskgear having a plurality of circumferential series of teeth at differentdistances from its center, a feed roll shaft upon which said gear ismounted, a drive shaft disposed radially in front of the disk gear, adrive means for said latter shaft at its lower end, a rocking bearingfor said drive shaft, a lever having movable therewith at anintermediate point, a yoke, a pinion mounted 011 the radially disposedshaft and splined thereto and shiftable by said yoke, a loose bearingfor the upper end 7 of the said lever, the handle at the lower end ofsaid lever being disposed within; reach of the operator on the floor,and latch means, to lock the lever in any one of its series of operatingpositions, controllable by a grip element on the lever handle.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

RALPH E. WILSON.

